They made it!

Just wanted to let everyone know they have safely made it to Ukraine!

Thanks for your prayers as we travel

We leave this am for our adoption trip to Ukraine. The Lord has once again walked us thru this journey to more children... Please pray for our family, at home and in Ukraine. Pray for health as we travel and that we would be sensitive to the Lord's leading us as we are blessed by more children...

We are off to Ukraine

some pics of Joy

Daddy and Paw Paw Joy

Catch the Joy

The Joy of the Lord is my strength has a significant and very special meaning to me. In the last 8 and a half years we have experienced much in our life that could have thrown us off the path that the Lord was sending us on. We moved from an area we loved and a home that was set in the mountains of VA to a very flat and wide open home in WV. We struggled the first few years with why here Lord. We had been involved in fostercare hoping to adopt in Roanoke , VA and even took classes here in WV for that as well. We had too many to count "incidents" with people vandalizing our property for a period of a year. Then that stopped abruptly and we began a chapter with our older daughter that has caused much pain and strife in our whole family... that has been over 6 yrs.... this almost destroyed any joy any of us had.... then we began our journey of restoration back to the Lord. One thing I learned thru all of our trials was this principle- No one can take away or rob me or destroy the joy of my salvation.... only I can choose to allow that to happen. Another similar principle is no one eles sins or complaining can rob me of my joy either... Nehemiah 8:10 states The Joy of the Lord is my strength. Joy is an emotion that tickles our tickle box or makes our eyes bright and gleaming. Joy springs assurance in your being when your circumstances look overwhelming. Joy is the excitement of Jesus swelling up in your heart when there is no reason to be excited. Joy is the confirmation in your soul that, whatever happens in life, Jesus is right beside you- giving you the strength you need for the journey. So when we began to feel like complaining or cry, catch the joy!

ONLY 20 DAYS LEFT TO LIFT OFF FOR UKRAINE

We are coming up on our travel time and busy getting things ready. Lots of things to do and so little time... Next week I travel to Baltimore with several of the children 3 of the days... for medical check ups or post op for Luke. We saw Dr. Standard on 5/8 for Luke and Mya . He is still impressed with how well Luke is doing... a truly amazing child. Only one issue was really shared and that was how Luke's leg looks like it bows out... This was something expected and will be taken care of when he hits puberty . He is being fitted for another brace to wear at nite but first will wear a removable stretching cast only at nite on that leg for about 2 months. Mya we discussed how to maximize her ability to walk.... She prefers to hop instead of use her l leg- especially when she wants to go fast- which is all the time. She can hop very fast on one leg with great balance too. Since we saw her peds. neurologist 3 weeks ago she has used Luke's reverse walker and that really helps. Dr. Standard thought it was a great idea. We talked about a muscle transfer of her hamstrings on the l leg to her knee but right now she does not have much to transfer. So I was taught some pt to do with her to strengthen her hamstrings and to stretch her knee. She is about only 20 degrees off from a 180 degree ( straight) leg which is the best for her to walk. We should be able to gain that with the pt. She also is being fitted next week with this removable stretching cast to wear only at nite.... Both are so funny about it. At my mom's funeral she was telling people she was getting her leg (chopped off) amputated.... I actually had some relatives who believed her.... She does not mind her walker . She will also try a new AFO that will go over her knee to stabilize it. I am not sure she will like it but maybe if she can walk with it better.... She is such an active child. It will be hard to get her to wear shoes . She loves being bearfooted... So we will see. She certainly has gumption and heart. Then on Tuesday I take Lily and Anna for their eye appts. in Baltimore. Our peds. opthamologist moved her practice and instead of a 45 min. drive we will go 2 hrs.... but we like her so it is worth the travel. Ben has a check up with our pediatrician on Wed. but that is local. I am trying to get as much of this type of things done..... Then it is on to Ukraine....

We are getting excited. We just spoke with the director of the kid's orphanage. She has been to our house 2 times this past year with a host program..... very positive and emotional visits. We are looking forward to seeing her again in Ukraine. Please pray for us as we finish the final preparations.... It seems like I would never be able to say that.... and here it is now 20 days away.....

The past week in pics- sorry for so many

I am not to good at navigating on this blog and hope to learn how to do a slide show... that is the format I wanted for these but alas it didn 't happen. When I do I will change the pics... Enjoy... later I will be posting about joy....

Ezra learning how to pick up his own food and loving it- Back at the farm

Little Ezra eating some breakfast... what a sweet, happy baby.

Leaving the beach and headed back to Jenn's

Hot tub time- the sign read no one under 16- opps

catching some waves Luke

This was the first time Luke could "walk" to the beach. Last
beach trip was 2 yrs ago June right before his leg surgeries.
Praise God it is now... He is never without a smile.

Ava loved the beach... what joy to watch all the kids

Luke in Mya in the hole

more work on the hole

the beginning of the hole... that got bigger each day

some of the prettier b bums

My biggest b bums

2 more b bums or shell seekers :)

2 little beach bums

Hanging at the beach

walking to the beach

Jenn and Ella doing storytime

Jenn does this with Ella and it is a great idea.... She starts
the story and stops periodically and Ella adds that part
then Jenn continues. With the group of kids she would let
them take turns doing the adding part... Look at Lily laughing
and how Cate is paying attention to the story too....

Paul and Joseph looking over the "farm" pond

One of the alligators or "crocagators" as Mya and Luke call them

Home.... How sweet it is to be Home

We got in last nite from our vacation to visit our daughter, Jenn and her family and Hilton Head Beach. She lives half way there and that was our stopping over... Okay we did really want to see our "grand" babies, Ella and Ezra too. They just moved to the "farm" and it is so beautiful there. Actually on our way in on Sunday we were joking we could just stay there for the week.... They have lots of wildlife (even without us visiting them :)

Then it was on to the beach.... Of course the kids had a great time. Although I have to say... when we checked in at the gate to our resort we looked to our right and saw a very large alligator swimming in the pond beside the gate..... I asked in true stupid form," Is that a real alligator?" Of course she said yes and smiled.... In the literature it stated not to feed the alligators or entice them... Oh duh ! When we got to the hotel entrance I asked about the alligators.... There response was they usually stay away from the hotel because the water is more salty than out there... only about a half a mile away. The joke all week was if you disobey you get to take a walk to the gate.... Funny everyone was on their best behavior :)